Virginia Democrats are at it again, ramming through yet another assault on law-abiding gun owners with Senate Bill 763, which sailed through the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations yesterday. This insidious legislation slaps an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition—framed innocuously as a public safety measure, but let’s call it what it is: a blatant Sin Tax 2.0 designed to price Second Amendment rights out of reach for working-class Virginians. Proponents claim it’ll fund violence prevention, but history shows these revenue grabs rarely see a dime go to actual safety programs; instead, they pad budgets while inflating costs for hunters, sport shooters, and self-defense enthusiasts. With the bill now advancing in both chambers, Governor Northam’s successors in Richmond are signaling that Virginia’s slide into blue-state gun control hell shows no signs of slowing.

Dig deeper, and SB 763 isn’t just a tax hike—it’s a masterclass in incrementalism, mirroring tactics from states like New York and California where similar gun fees have ballooned into outright confiscation pipelines. Economically, that 11% sting translates to real pain: a $500 AR-15 jumps to $555, and bulk ammo buys for training sessions could add hundreds annually, disproportionately hammering rural Virginians who rely on firearms for protection and provision. This comes hot on the heels of last year’s red-flag expansions and one-handgun-a-month laws, painting a grim picture for the 2A community. Nationally, it fuels the narrative that even moderate Democrats can’t resist the gun-grab itch, potentially galvanizing turnout in swing districts and setting up court challenges under the Supreme Court’s Bruen precedent, which demands historical analogs for such burdens—good luck finding Founding-era firearm taxes to justify this.

For gun owners in the Old Dominion, the implications are stark: stock up now before this hits your wallet, rally at the next General Assembly session, and support orgs like the Virginia Citizens Defense League pushing back hard. This isn’t just Virginia’s fight—it’s a warning shot for every state watching red turn purple. If SB 763 becomes law, expect copycats nationwide, proving once more that the anti-2A crowd’s endgame is compliance through the checkout line. Stay vigilant, patriots; our rights aren’t free, and neither will our guns be if we let this slide.